The Loktantra Bachao (Save Democracy) campaign has termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ulihatu — the birth place of tribal icon Birsa Munda in Jharkhand's Khunti — on November 15 as an insult to the Adivasis.

The media statement issued by the campaign members has also termed the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra as driven by propaganda ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The Yatra will be flagged off by Prime Minister at Khunti on November 15 and aims to reach every nook and corner of the country to showcase the benefits of the central government’s schemes.

The Loktantra Bachao campaign in Jharkhand, organised jointly by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and the Loktantrik Rashtra Nirman Abhiyan, has so far held meetings in four Lok Sabha constituencies of the state — Jamshedpur, Singhbhum, Chatra and Ranchi — to plan a strategy to oust the BJP in 2024 and save democracy in the country.

Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha is a coalition of human and tribal rights groups and the Loktantrik Rashtra Nirman Abhiyan is a democratic nation-building campaign comprising individuals and organisations ideologically against the BJP's concept of Hindu Rashtra and the spread of communal hatred in society.

“Launch of propaganda driven 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' from Khunti by the Prime Minister is an insult of Birsa Munda and Adivasis. It is a part of the BJP’s campaign for the 2024 parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP do not have the moral right to launch this yatra from Ulihatu. They do not recognise the independent identity of Adivasis, who they address as ‘Vanvasi’ (forest dwellers) and try to erase their religion and culture by declaring them as part of the Sanatan Dharma,” the statement reads.

“By creating conflict between Sarna and Christian Adivasis, the BJP has been consistently trying to weaken Adivasi solidarity and establish the dominance of the Brahmanical caste system. The Modi government allowed state-supported pogrom of Adivasis in Manipur and BJP leaders are trying their best to spread community and religion-based hatred by using Manipur as an example in Jharkhand,” the statement adds.

“The Adivasis in Jharkhand are fighting for their rights over water, forests, minerals and land, and the Modi government is erasing these rights. The Modi government did not even accept the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which has some progressive provisions. Despite widespread public opposition, it repeatedly brought an arbitrary Land Acquisition Ordinance that could not be passed due to Adivasis’ opposition. By amending the forest conservation law, the Modi government has decided to hand over the forests to the corporates by snatching away the rights of the Gram Sabha over the forest land and resources acquired under the Forest Rights Act,” reads the statement.

“Through the Svamitva Card scheme, which was piloted in Khunti itself, a conspiracy has been hatched to snatch the public land of the village from the control of the Adivasis and to weaken the CNT-SPT law and Khuntkatti system. In 2017-18 (during Raghubar Das's tenure as the chief minister), the BJP's double-engine government had repressed thousands of Adivasis who carried out Pathalgadi by declaring them seditious and putting many in jail. The BJP's double-engine government had also repressed those who opposed the amendments to the CNT-SPT Acts,” the statement adds.

"In the last nine years, Modi has pushed India — and especially Jharkhand — towards destruction. The rights of the poor, the deprived, the workers and the farmers have been weakened. There has been a massive cut in the budget of welfare schemes like MGNREGA, social security pension, the anganwadi programme etc. The development that has taken place has been only in the wealth of a few capitalists, particularly Ambani and Adani. There has been a massive increase in the wealth of the BJP also,” the statement concludes.

The statement also lists nine “anti-people” actions of the BJP-led Centre.

Tribal rights activist Aloka Kujur said a meeting would be held at Dombari Buru, around 15km from Ulihatu where the Prime Minister is scheduled to address a gathering around the same time.

“We will inform the Mundas and tribals about the nine anti-people policies of the BJP government. We wanted to host this meeting in Dombari Buru as this was the place where the British police fired upon the tribals led by Birsa Munda, killing several of them,” Kujur said.